Facebook group for Exeter & Devon Court Cases

JULY

July's main story involved the murder of Exeter woman Geraldine Mellor by her boyfriend Darrell Rose in her flat in Alphington.

Other stories to hit the headlines included an ambulance technician who stole from an injured patient and a teacher who filmed pupils getting undressed.

Locked up in July

Read More

Two teenagers were left terrified when a man pulled a knife on them outside a chip shop in Torquay.

Laurence Higgs, 28, approached a boy, held a knife to his face and demanded £600.

When the boy said he had no cash Higgs attempted to rob another 16-year-old.

It was not the first time Higgs, of Babbacombe Road, Torquay, had been caught with a knife and he was jailed for three years and three months.

Read More

A greedy builder led a Champagne lifestyle on the back of half a million pounds of taxpayers' money he claimed in VAT.

Malcolm Chadwick, 64, from Clyst Honiton, stockpiled shoes, drove around in a Mercedes, and treated his family to expensive meals over a three year period where he ripped off HM Revenue and Customs. Investigators also found 'large volumes' of Champagne at his house.

The builder, who was a successful and capable tradesman, claimed he was owed the money by the taxman for 'zero-rated' new builds he completed. But when investigators delved deeper they found he had lied to them about the type of work he was doing. He had been overpaid £485,000.

Read More

Two members of a drugs gang supplying heroin and cocaine in Exeter have been jailed for a total of eight years.

Shane Rickets, 22, and Helen Foster, 35, were involved in a county lines network known as 'Kane' linking London to Exeter.

The gang used mobile phones to advertise drugs to users in the area, a court heard.

Read More

The disappearance of Genette Tate

Read More

A former Royal Marine with links to Lympstone strangled his wife to death months after she discovered he had an affair with their son's partner.

Ex-Royal Marine Stephen Searle, 64, has been sentenced to spend at least 14 years in prison.

He said his 62-year-old wife Anne Searle attacked him with a knife at their home in Stowmarket, Suffolk, and he was defending himself, but jurors at Ipswich Crown Court took three-and-a-half hours to find him guilty of her murder.

He was part of a county lines drugs gang operating in the city in July last year.

Read More

A drunken boyfriend knocked out his disabled partner after she stayed up to watch late night TV, a court heard.

David Bester, 48, from Torquay, was the registered carer for his girlfriend but punched her in the face during an unprovoked attack.

He pressured the victim not to tell paramedics who arrived at the scene to treat the bloodied victim and then told police she had fallen in the bathroom and caused her own injuries.

Read More

A man was viciously attacked by a dad-of-seven in an argument about money outside the victim's home.

Garry Darling, 39, launched the vicious assault by punching Karl Quirk in the side of the head at Oxford Court in Torquay before kicking him in the ribs while he lay on the ground.

Mr Quirk said he felt his ribs 'snap' as they broke during the attack on July 8.

Darling, of Salisbury Avenue, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and was sentenced to two years and two months in prison.

Read More

A convicted sex offender has been jailed after breaching the terms of a court order for the third time.

Gary Loftus, 64, spent two nights with a family he befriended while their two children were staying at the house.

Exeter Crown Court heard how Loftus, despite not having any untoward contact with the children, breached a Sexual Offences Prevention Order issued by Torquay Magistrates' Court in 2009.

Read More

A homeless man helped police track down where he buried thousands of pounds worth of goods stolen from churches across Devon in a desperate bid to avoid jail.

Despite helping officers recover iPads, laptops and other electronic items, Mihaita Rosca was sentenced to two years in prison after breaking into 10 churches in Devon as well as the Beachcomber Cafe and Adventure Golf, both in Teignmouth.

Rosca, 25, also admitted carrying out eight further burglaries - mainly at churches - in Weymouth, Suffolk and London.

Read More

A man with 172 previous convictions to his name has been sent back to jail for a string of offences - committed just after he'd been released from his latest stretch inside.

Carl Ascott, 45, is caught in a 'vicious cycle' of offending, drug use and homelessness, Exeter Crown Court was told.

He has been convicted for taking Star Wars Lego figures from WHSmith, Playstations from houses in Tiverton; a vacuum cleaner from Tesco; and booze from a shop.

The offences all happened in Tiverton in July.

Read More

(Image: Google)

A pedestrian was thrown into the air 'like a rag doll' after being hit by a speeding driver while crossing the road in North Devon.

Carpenter Gary Scholes, 36, was on his way home from the pub when he embarked on a wild and reckless 12-mile journey through Barnstaple and Braunton, Exeter Crown Court was told.

He overtook cars, sped through red lights, went the wrong way around roundabouts and the wrong side of bollards before hitting 26-year-old Karma Worthington.

She tried to hurry across the pelican crossing in Braunton but was hit by Scholes' Transit van and thrown several metres across a junction.

Read More

A predatory paedophile who groomed and sexually assaulted two teenage boys in Penzance has today been jailed after being convicted of 24 sickening offences.

William Michael Reynolds, aged 76 of Matlock Terrace, Torquay, was sentenced at Truro Crown Court following a five day trial. He was handed a sentence of 14 years and will also sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

Reynolds plead not guilty to the charges, but the jury found him to be guilty on 21 counts of indecent assault on a male person, two counts of buggery and one count of attempted rape.

Read More

A man has been jailed following this week's serious armed police incident in Torquay.

Tony Hawkins, 25, has been found guilty of possessing weapons after officers were called to a home in Upton Hill following a disturbance in the area.

It was reported that a 'number' of men and women had broken into the property and made threats to harm a young man inside.

Read More

A teenage burglar who ransacked a charity and an antiques shop in Barnstaple has been jailed for 18 months.

Paulius Garbukas, went on a spree of offending which included breaking into the non-for-profit Amigos in Boutport Street and then smashing through a stained glass window to steal jewellery from a converted church.

Exeter Crown Court was told Garbukas had come to the UK from Lithuania as a teenager but because he had no passport could not hold down a job. He told police he stole for the sake of stealing.

Read More

Police raided a house in rural Devon and discovered an illegal haul of pistols, air rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Micheal Ward, 60, kept the weapons in his semi-detached house in Winkleigh. They were found unsecured and scattered around the kitchen, lounge, bedrooms and hallway.

The semi-retired accountant said he was a collector and the guns could not hurt anyone. Police seized the haul and arrested Ward for possessing prohibited weapons.

Read More

A drug dealer at risk of jail claimed he couldn't do unpaid work because his suspicious girlfriend wouldn't let him leave the house.

Carl Blair, 40, also said he missed an appointment with probation because it was too hot and he was sleepy.

A judge at Exeter Crown Court said the excuses were not good enough and sent him to jail for eight months.

The defendant, a builder from Barnstaple , was given a chance by the same judge in February after being convicted of possessing with intent to supply cannabis and possessing cocaine.

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

The video will start in 8Cancel

Play now

Read More

The discovery of a secret bomb making factory in a quiet North Devon village triggered a massive police response and fears of a terrorist plot.

The inside of the old almshouses in Bishops Tawton had been transformed into a makeshift chemical laboratory and dangerous weapons armoury.

Read More

An organised crime group who trafficked more than £300,000 of Class-A drugs into Plymouth have been sentenced to 20 years in prison at Exeter Crown Court.

The group, who operated between Plymouth, London and Cyprus, transported large quantities of heroin and crack cocaine between August 2016 and July 2017.

Local couriers based in Plymouth were collecting and delivering drugs between London and Plymouth. While the leader of the group relocated to Cyprus where he ran the financial side of the business.

OCTOBER

A weapons-obsessed extremist, a violent boyfriend and a dishonest hairdresser were among those locked up.

One of the longest sentences of the year was handed out to a predatory paedophile who preyed on children.

The grandfather was jailed for 24 years for a horrific series of assaults. He was brought to justice by the bravery of one of his victims. There were cheers in the public gallery as the court was told he would probably die in jail.

Cooke, who threatened to pull a knife if he didn't let him go, eventually got away but not before Mr Fernandes had tripped him up as tried to leave.

The bizarre episode took place while Cooke was conducting a spree of desperate thefts and burglaries in Exeter to feed his drug habit - even stealing a bicycle from a vicar.

Read More

A burglar who went on a spending spree at Bargain Booze using stolen credit cards has been jailed - despite claiming to be a product of the system.

Prolific thief Martin Murray, 49, has committed dozens of crimes since the 1980s and been in and out of prison for much of his adult life.

After being jailed for his latest spree of stealing from houses, pubs, and a theatre he said his crimes were due to his experiences in the care and prison systems and he had not received the support he should from society.

Read More

A teenager has been jailed for breaking a man's jaw by smashing an egg into his face.

Ryan Hughes, 18, and his friends had been throwing eggs at doggers having sex on Haldon Hill before returning to Paignton, Exeter Crown Court was told.

Hughes, still armed with an egg, got out of a car on Marine Parade and attacked a man who was walking by.

Read More

An alleged murderer stabbed a man to death with a two-pronged fork then called a friend to help him move the body from his flat in Teignmouth, a trial has been told.

David Ablett, 52, bludgeoned Matthew Jackson, 38, to death at Barnpark Terrace then dumped his body by bins across the road from his flat, Exeter Crown Court heard.

He thought moving the body at night would throw police off the scent but the next morning a trail of blood and grease led them straight to his door.

Read More

David Ablett murder trial

Read More

A drug dealer on his way to court boasted to friends that he would be back dealing - once the judge had let him go.

Jason Densham, 49, was due to be sentenced for his part in a huge drug trafficking operation linking Exeter to London.

The day before he sold a wrap of heroin to an undercover police officer in Sidwell Street. The next day he assured friends that all being well in court he would be back dealing for them in 24 hours.

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

The video will start in 8Cancel

Play now

Read More

A 62-year-old man has been jailed for five and a half years for running a drug supply operation in Exeter and Dawlish.

Laurie Adams, of Buddle Lane in Exeter, would arrange heroin and crack cocaine deals then cycle to a meeting place to complete the sale.

The judge sentencing him at Exeter Crown Court said he had been shown leeway and understanding by people willing to help him in the past due to his mental health and living problems but he had continued to offend.

Read More

Givemore Gezi has been jailed for seven years and eight months for sexual grooming

A mental health crisis worker has been jailed for more than seven years for having a sexual affair with his teenage patient.

Givemore Gezi, 40, groomed the girl for sex when he should have been offering support for her mental health problems.

The team leader prayed on the girl's vulnerabilities and distrust of authority for his own sexual gratification. He lied about his age, kept his marriage secret, isolated her from other professionals and encouraged her to delete text messages to hide the true nature of what was going on.